Marking, printing, and embossing device



April 1932- M. A. G. LUEDTKE 1,854,705

MARKING, PRINTING, AND EMBOSSING DEVICE Filed May 3, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheetl I NI"E:V TOR. Hard. 6. Lqedtke April 1932- M. A. G. LUEDTKE 1,854,705

MARKING PRINTING, AND EMBOSSING DEVICE Filed May 3, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet2 IN V EN TOR.

I? p A TTORNEY Patented Apr. 19, 1932 PATENT OFFICE MAX A. G. LUEDTKE, FWEEHAWKEN,'NEW JERSEY MARKING, PRINTING, AND EMBOSSING DEVICEApplication filed Kay 3, 1927. Serial No. 188,477.

This invention relates to marking, printin r and embossing devices.

ore particularly the invention is directed to the provision of animproved and greatly simplified apparatus for branding, embossing, orapplying plain or lustrous letters, ornamental designs, monograms, orother legends, on articles made of leather, leather substitutes, fibre,paper, textile fabrics and the like materials.

In my co-pending applications, Serial Nos. 76,595, 86,314 and 116,076dated December 21st, 1925, February th, 1926 and June th, 1926,respectively, and filed jointly with there are described machines of thegeneral nature hereinabove set forth having a plurality of type carryingdiscs and which may be operated in one manipulation of the lever handleto impress a complete monogram including several letters and a borderenclosing the same on the material. In the present invention my purposeis in the main to provide an apparatus of this character in which asingle type carrying element is employed whereby one letter at a timemay be impressed on the material in comparatively rapid succession to beemployed in hat stores and the like places for placing initials on thesweat bands of hats and the like purposes, and it is the further objectof this invention to provide a device of this character which shallcomprise comparatively few and simple parts, assembled into avery neat,compact and rugged structure, which shall be comparatively cheap tomanufacture, easy to manipulate, and eflicient in operation to a highdegree.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in parthereinafter pointed out.

)ertain features herein shown and describe-dare shown, described andclaimed in my joint-co-pending applications aforementioned, andaccordingly are not claimed herein.

\Vith the above exception, the invention accordingly consists in thefeatures of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement ofparts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafterdescribed,

and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the followingclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which is shown one of the variouspossible illustrative embodiments of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a machine embodying the invention,parts being broken away to show the construction.

Figs. 2 and 3 are cross-sectional views taken on lines 2-2 and 3-3respectively of Fig 1.

igs. 4 and 5 are cross-sectional views taken on lines 4-4 and 5-5,respectively of Fig 3.

ig. 6 shows perspective views of border 66 type elements for outliningthe type elements so as to form monograms, the type element impressionsbeing shown in dotted lines.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the apparatus 10 embodying theinvention here \shown in particularly adapted for applyingidentification initials, monograms, designs or the like to bags,briefcases, the sweat bands of hats, and for like purposes. Saidapparatus is seen to comprise a bed or mounting base 11 carrying anupstanding guide memher or stud 12 rigidly secured to the base in anvsuitable manner as by means of set screws 13 threaded into a boss 11aformed on the base. A portion 11b of the base 11 is extended to providea support for a platen member 15 on which an article or material M isrested during the application of the branding, embossing or printing, aswill hereinafter be described.

' A frame 16 is mounted for vertical reciprocating movement on the guidemember 12 and is supportingly spaced from the base by a helical spring17 encircling said guide member 12. The spring is adapted to normallyretain the frame 16 in its raised position and to automatically returnsaid frame to its'normal position after being depressed. For retainingthe frame 16 against rotary movement on the guide member 12, a keyscrew18 is threaded into the frame which has its leading end engaged in agroove 12a longitudinally extending along the guide member. The latterpreferably extends through the frame and has a pin 19 projecting throughits upper end. Said pin forms a pivotal mounting for bifurcated portions20a of an operating lever 20 and may be retained in place by a set screw2]. threaded into the upper end of the stud 12, as is clearly shown inFig. 3-. The edge portion 20b of each of said lever portions 20a servesas a cum to cooperate with the upper surface 16a of the. frame 16,whereby when the lever 20 is swung coninter-clockwise as seen in Fig. 1,the frame 16 is depressed against action of the. spring 17. Suitablemeans such as a stop lug 22 may be provided to extend between thebifurcated lever portions 20a to contact with the guide member 12 forlimiting the upswing of the lever.

The frame 16' may be constructed with a pair of spaced bracket arms 16?)and 160 between which extend a hollow shaft 23 fixedly secured inposition in any suitable manner as by means of a set screw 24 threadedinto the outer arm 16?). Mounted for rotation on the fixed shaft 23 isanother shaft 25 which extends through the inner arm 160 and has anover-hanging portion 25a on which a toothed wheel 26 is fixedlymounted.- A collar 27 is firmly secured to the shaft 25 to abut theinner arm 160 on the opposite side to the wheel 26 for retaining theshaft 25 against lateral shifting.

Concentrically secured against the wheel 26 by any suitable means, suchas spaced screws 28, is a disc 29 on the peripheral surface of which isuniformly spaced dies or type elements 30. Said elements may comprisethe letters of the alphabet, numerals or other indicia on which may beformed a wide varied range of desirable combinations of initials,designs, monograms, or legends to be applied to the material or articleM. The teeth 26a on the wheel 26 correspond in number to the typeelements 30. A dctent spring 26?) has one end thereof anchored on aradial arm 14a of a bracing member'14, the free end of said spring beinyadapted to engage with the teeth 26a, whereby the disc 29 is releasablyset for selectively retaining one of the type elements 30 in printingposition over the platen member 15. The bracing member 14 may be rigidlysecured to the inner bracket arm 160 by any suitable means, as forexample by screws 14b. 6 3

\Vhen the device 10 is used by applying initials or monograms the ty eelements 30 carried on the peripheral sur ace of the disc 29 may includetwenty-six letters of the alphabet. To simplify the construction anddecrease the cost of manufacture, said elements 30 are preferably madeindependent of the disc 29 and may each be fixedly secured in positionon the periphery thereof by suitable means such as adove-tailedconnection 33, (see Fig. 1). When setting the type elements 30 forprinting, as will hereinafter more fully appear, the disc 29 and thewheel 36 are rotated with the shaft 25 by turning a knob 31 whichpreferably is made of a heat insulating material such as wood, fibre,bakelile or the like, and is fixed to the disc n coaxial relation by abolt 32 or other suitable means. The article or material M to be markedis mounted on the platen member 15 and fingers 34 positioned at eachside thereof are provided for retaining said articles and material onthe member 15. Said fingers are of: resilient construction and)referably extend below the level of the sur ace of the platen so as notto interfere with the printlug operation. Said fin ers are secured inany suitable manner as y means of screws 35 to an upstanding ledgeportion 15a provided on the member 15. A sweatband of a hat or otherarticle can thus be rested on the platen member 15 and held thereon bysaid fingers during the marking operation. From the description giventhus far of the apparatus 10. it will be noted that the same includesbut a single disc and one set of type elements. In order that aplurality of letters or insignia may be imprinted in alignment alongside each other on the article M, means is provided for moving theplaten member 15 a predetermined distance relative to the disc 29 andtype elements 30 carried thereon so that the latter may be impressed inuniform alignment on the article M. In the construction here shown, theplaten member 15 having the fingers 34 which carry the article M isslidably movable on the base plate and is actuated by a lever 36pivotally mounted on a boss 11.0 on the base 11 by a shouldered screw37, said lever having an offset handle 36a. The end 36?) of the leveropposite the handle 36a is formed with a slot 360 into which extends ascrew 38 the latter being threaded into the underside of a cross-headportion 15b projecting from the platen member ledge 15a. The cross-headrides on a guide bar 39 which may be secured by means of screws 40 onspaced supporting lugs 11d projecting up from the base. Each of saidlugs 11d carries stop screws 64 for adjustably limiting the movement ofthe cross-head on the guide bar between said lugs, as is clearly shownin Fig. 4. A plurality of equally spaced notches 39" is provided on thebar 39 to correspond to the desired uniform spacing of the impressionsof the ty e elements to be marked on the article M. t aid notches areadapted to releasably engage with a the type elements so that they areinked as the disc is revolved during the setting operation of the typeelements.

So that the apparatus 10 may be used for branding, embossing or applyinglustrous letters, a suitable heating means for the type elements isprovided. The heating element maybe formed in the disc 2%) andconstructed as disclosed in the aforementioned co-pending application,Serial No. 7 6,595. In the form here shown, said heating means comprisesan electric heatcr unit 42 of any suitable construction preferablyforming a core which is fitted to extend through the hollow shaft 23 asshown in Figs. 2 and 3, said unit being fixedly retained in position bya set screw 43 threaded into said shaft 2?.

Portable conductor wires 44 connect with the heater unit 42, said wiresbeing provided with a detachable fitting in the well understood manner,adapted to connect with a suitable electric power source (not shown).

The disc 39 and type elements are preferably made of copper, bronze,brass, aluminum, or other material having relatively high heatconductivity so that they may be readily heated to the required workingtemperature by the unit 42.

In branding or plain embossing the article or material M, the unit isfirst connected to an electric power source for heating the typeelements after which they are selectively set and successively forcedagainst the articlev or material by applying pressure to the handle 20a,as will hereinafter be described.

By interposing a metallic foil or leaf of gold, silver, aluminum orother metal or composition between the heated type elements and thearticle or material M. lustrous letters may be stamped or printed on thelatter. For automatically feeding such foil in proper operating sequencea strip feeding mechanism F may be incorporated in the apparatus 10. Inthe form shown in the drawings. said mechanism F comprises a spool 45revolubly mounted on a shaft 46 and a pair of friction rollers 47 and 48mounted on shafts 49 and 50, respectively, the shafts 49 and. 50 beingsupported on the radial arm 14a of the bracing member and the shaft 46on another radial arm 140 of said bracing member 14, said shafts beingsuitably journaled and supported to move with the frame 16 as shown inFigs. 1. 2 and 3.

A supply of strip material 51 is carried on the spool 45, said spoolbeing provided with a frictional drag 52*of any well understoodconstruction to prevent unwinding of the foil. Said strip material hasone side thereof coated with a metallic foil (not shown) from which thelustrous letters are formed, and is fed with the coated face downbetween the type elements 30 and the platen member 15. Any suitablestrip material of metallic foil,

such as is in commercial 'use may be employed.

Spaced guides 54 are supported by said bracing member 14 to extendbetween said rollers preferably so as to extend below the normal levelof the type elements for guiding the strip material 51 and holding itout of contact when the frame 16 is in raised position, as shown inFig. 1. For driving the friction rollers 47 and 48, there are provided aratchet wheel 53 fixedly mounted to the end 49a of the shaft 49 and apawl 54' therefor supported on a pinion 55 which is freely mounted onsaid shaft end 49a. The teeth 55a of the pinion engage with a erticallyextending rack 56 which is fixedly supported by a brace 57 from the base11 as will be seen from Figs. 1 and 2. The feeding mechanism F will beeffective to advance the strip 51 only on the return motion of the frame16 to its raised position when the pawl 54 and the ratchet 53 willinterlock the wheel to the shaft 49. On the downward travel of the framethe pawl will ride over the teeth of the ratchet and the shaft 49 willnot be rotated, as will be readily understood. The roller 48 isfrictionally held against the roller 49 by any suitable means, as forexample by a spring 58 having an adjustable screw 59 which engages theshaft 50 urging the rollers 47 and 48 in contact. The leading or spentend of the strip material passes between said rollers and automaticallyis fed between the type elements and the article M on the upwardmovement of the disc after each impression of the type elements. Forenclosing the disc 29 a suitable casing 60 made of bakelite or otherheat insulating material is supported by the radial arms of the bracingmember 14, said casing preferably extending to cover the disc and typeelements. As a convenient means for selectively setting the typeelements in printing position, suitable indicating means is provided,said means preferably being in the form of letters or other symbols 61carried on the side 29a of the disc to correspond with the type elements30 in such a manner that when a letter such as K is visible through anopening 60a provided in the casing 60, the disc is positioned to mark oremboss the type letter K on the article. 7

In using the invention, the portable conductor wires 44 are connected toan electric power source to heat the type elements on the disc. Bymanipulating the knob 31 the disc 29 is set so that a desired letter orsymbol appears at the casing opening 60a. A brief case, sweat-band, orother article M is positioned on the platen member 15 and retained inposition by the fingers 34,. and the handle lever 20 depressed thuscausing the frame 16 to descend and forcing the heated type elementagainst the strip material to press the foil or coated side thereofagainst the maof the type elements.

. letter initials.

terial M. The heat from the type element caused the foil to adhere tothe material in outline to correspond to the shape and design of thetype or other character of the type element. I

To provide a border design for the t pe element-s when forming aninitial or the like, border type elements 62 and 63 may be provided foroutlining two or three type elements respectively. Said border elementsare secured to the disc 29 by (love tailed connections in the samemanner as the type elements 30. Said border type elements are properlyaligned on the disc 29 with respect to the other type elements so thatwhen the platen member and the article are properly set, the elements 62and 63 will imprint a border surrounding two or three type elementimpressions, respectively.

The lever 20 is then released and the spring 17 returns the frame 16 toits normally raised position. Simultaneously, the strip material 51 iscaused to be fed so as to present an unused portion thereof at the nextimpression By means of the lever 36, the platen member 15 and thearticle M mounted thereon is shifted the distance of one notch on theguide bar 39 and the disc 29 rotated until the next desired letterappears at the casing opening 60a. The lever 20 is again depressed andthe above described cycle of operation is repeated to form the desiredcombinations of letters which are imprintedin uniform spaced alignmenton the article M. The proper border type elements may be brought intoprinting position and imprinted to outline the letters, the border typeelement 62 being designed to outline two letter initials, and theelement 63 three- (See Fig. 6).

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which theseveral objects of this invention are achieved, and which is Welladapted to meet the conditions of practical use. 1

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention,and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth,it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in theaccompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. A marking apparatus of the character describedcomprising a rotatable disc, spaced type elements mounted on the disc,electrical means for heating the type elements, means for supporting anarticle to be marked in spaced relation to said type elements, a foilstrip extending between said supporting means and type elements and outof contact with the type elements and sppporting means, means for movingthe disc and the foil strip against the article, a lever havin an armengaging said article support, a apted to shift said support.

2. A marking apparatus of the character described comprising a rotatabledisc, spaced type elements mounted on the disc, means for heating thetype elements, means for supporting an article to be marked in spacedrelation to said type elements, a foil strip mounted tofeed between saidsupporting means and type elements, means for causing a type element tocontact the foil strip against the article, and means for shifting thearticle su port relative to the disc to a plurality of pre eterminedpositions.

3. A marking apparatus of the character described comprising a rotatabledisc, spaced type elements mounted on the peripher of t 10 disc, meansfor supporting an artic e to be marked, means for heating the typeelements, means for selectively positioning one of the type elements formarking said article, a foil strip extending between said type elementand supporting means, means for pressing said type element against thefoil strip and the article, means actuated by said pressing means forfeeding the foil strip relative to the type element, and means forshifting said supporting means relative to the type element.

4. An apparatus of the character described comprising a plurality ofsingle type elements including a border type member for outlining one ormore of said elements, a unitary means for carrying said elements andmember, means to support an article in spaced relation to said elements,and means to selectively bring one of said type elements and the articletogether.

5. An apparatus of the character described comprising a plurality oftype elements including a border type member for outlining one or moreof said elements, a unitary means for carrying said elements, means tosupport an article in spaced relation to said elements, means to feed afoil strip between the type elements and the article, means to heat thetype elements, and means to bring the elements. the foil strip and thearticle together.

6. An apparatus of the character described comprising a plurality oftype elements, a disc for supporting said elements on the peripheralsurface thereof, heating means for the type elements a casing enclosingsaid disc, means to support an article to be marked in spaced relationto said elements, means to feed a coil strip between said article andsaid elements, means to selectively bring one of the type elements andthe article together and guiding means for said strip integral with saidcasing.

7. An embossing machine comprising a single annular disc, a plurality oftype elements fixed to the periphery of said disc. means to support anarticle to be embossed in spaced relation to the periphery of said disc,electrical means for heating said disc means forieeding a foil stripbetween sai disc and the article supporting means, means 7 to rotatablysupport said disc for selectively bringing one of the type elementsadjacent said article supporting means, means for causing relativelateral movement between said disc and said article supporting means to19 cause said type element to press a portion'of said strip against saidarticle for embossing the same, and means controlled by last named meansfor automatically actuating said feeding means, said actuating meansbeing operable simultaneously with said relative lateral movementbetween said disc and said article supporting means. p 8. An apparatusof the character described comprising asingle rotatably mounteddisc,

a plurality of type elements carried on said disc, means to support anarticle to be marked in spaced relation to said elements, means to feedan elongated foil strip between the article and the type elements, meansto heat the type elements, means to rotate the disc to selectively bringa desired type element into marking position, pressure means for causingI sliding movement of said disc for bringing one of the heated typeelements, the foil strip and the article together, means to move thearticle supporting means relative to the disc,

- and meansv operative upon movement of the disc mounting forautomatically advancing the strip.

v In testimony whereof I 'aflix my signature.

MAX A. G. LUEDTKE.

